Julie Page has dedicated 25 years of her life to teaching. So it’s no surprise that she is a bit stumped by the question: “What would you do if you weren’t doing this?”
“No idea,” she said. “I never wanted to do anything else!”
Page is a social studies teacher at Kidder Middle School and is in her 13th year as a part of Mountie Nation. Her favorite thing about being part of Northwest Community Schools?
“The culture and the people,” she said. “I have worked in three other districts throughout the state of Michigan and none of them compare to Northwest.”
Page was named a Northwest Schools 2019-20 Nurtured Heart Award winner. That award goes to an outstanding educator who lives and breathes the Nurtured Heart Approach in their classroom, in the hallways and possibly in all parts of their life. This is a colleague who helps kids feel great about who they are and creates successes that would not otherwise exist.
It’s no surprise that after 25 years of teaching and all the students she has touched, Page would have a difficult time finding one defining moment.
“There are too many to count,” she said. “I feel like I have defining moments every single day. Being a part of a staff that works together to help kids find themselves, figure out their strengths, overcome their adversities and learn to believe in themselves is what I get to do every day. I am very lucky to be a part of Northwest!”
Here are five more things to know about Julie Page:
If you could meet anyone living or dead, who would you meet?
“I would love to meet Ellen DeGeneres. I admire her for a lot of reasons, the way she uses humor to entertain and put others at ease. I love the way she uses her fame to help others and most importantly her belief in treating everyone with kindness.”
If you could learn to do anything what would it be? Why?
“I would love to learn a foreign language and then travel to that country and speak it.”
What three traits define you?
Strength, character and compassion.
What would you name your autobiography?
“‘Just Keep Swimming,’ because no matter what life throws at you, you just have to keep moving forward, have a positive attitude and an open heart.”
What advice do you have for kids struggling in school?
“Just keep swimming!”
